New to winemaking? Wine kit instructions often assume you already know the lingo. Here are the terms you will run into most, in plain English.
- Airlock
- A one-way valve that lets fermentation gas out and keeps air out.
- Bentonite
- A clay fining agent added on day 1 to remove proteins.
- Brix
- A scale that measures the sugar content of juice. 1 °Brix equals 1 g of sugar per 100 ml.
- Campden tablet
- A compressed tablet of metabisulphite.
- Carboy
- A glass or plastic jug, usually 23 L (6 US gal), used as the secondary fermenter.
- Degassing
- Stirring finished wine to drive out dissolved carbon dioxide.
- Fining
- Adding an agent such as isinglass, gelatin, kieselsol or chitosan that clears wine.
- Hydrometer
- A floating tool that measures specific gravity.
- Isinglass
- A gentle fining agent often included with wine kits.
- Lees
- The sediment of dead yeast and particles at the bottom of the fermenter.
- Metabisulphite
- Potassium or sodium metabisulphite: a source of sulphur dioxide, used to sanitize equipment and protect wine.
- Must
- Unfermented juice.
- Oxidation
- Damage from too much air exposure. Wine turns brown and tastes flat.
- Potassium sorbate
- A stabilizer that stops renewed fermentation, especially in sweetened wine.
- Primary fermenter
- The large pail used for the first, vigorous week of fermentation.
- Racking
- Siphoning wine off its sediment into a clean container.
- Racking cane
- A rigid tube with an anti-sediment tip used for siphoning.
- Secondary fermenter
- The carboy where fermentation finishes and wine clears.
- Specific gravity (S.G.)
- The density of a liquid compared with water (1.000). It shows how much sugar is left.
- Sparkolloid
- A strong fining agent that works when others fail.
- Stuck fermentation
- Fermentation that stops before all the sugar is used up.
- Sulphites
- Compounds that release sulphur dioxide (SO2), protecting wine from spoilage.
- Ullage
- The air space between the wine and the cork or the top of the container.
- Vinometer
- A small tool that estimates the alcohol content of finished dry wine.
- Wine conditioner
- A sweetener with sorbate added, used to soften or sweeten finished wine.
- Wine thief
- A tube for drawing wine samples out of a fermenter.
Keep Reading
- How to Make Wine From a Kit: Step-by-Step Timeline
- How to Use a Hydrometer for Winemaking
- Wine Kit Additives Explained
Need a hand with your batch? Call us toll-free at 1-877-668-6160 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern) or send us a message.
This guide is adapted from the ABC Crafted Series booklet Wine From Kits: What the Instructions Don’t Always Tell You. Always follow the instructions that come with your kit.